Biography

Photography has been a lifelong passion and

career for me since 1974. Early days were spent working for other photographers to gain experience, before opening my own freelance studio, and doing commercial photography for clients wanting to advertise their product.                  A love for travel and outdoor life led me to photographing the landscape when time allowed.

  During the eighties and nineties I developed a keen interest in large format black and white photography. This involved setting up a large view camera on tripod with 5”x4” and sometimes 8”x10” sheet film, with the black cloth over my head, just like in the old days! Many hours were then spent in the darkroom striving towards what I hoped was the perfect print. I like fine detail and exceptional tonal range in a print, and using this equipment, although cumbersome, certainly achieved this. I attended workshops in the U.S.A to improve my darkroom printing skills.

   In 1994 I felt my black and white landscape work was of a standard to show the public and I had an exhibition of photographs of the Great Ocean Road, which was very well received. The next year I published my first calender, also on the Great Ocean Road. Unsure of it’s chances of success, I printed only 250 copies. There was nothing like it on the market at the time and they sold out quickly. For 1996 I printed 2000 copies and in subsequent years added to the range with new titles.

  Together with producing framed original photographs, the calendars became a full time operation as I do all my own marketing, mail orders etc.

  I watched with interest as the advent of digital  started to render my traditional photography equipment obsolete. When the quality of digital was, in my opinion, equal to my large format camera I changed to digital. That was in 2003. I now use digital exclusively, and although I miss the craft of using the big view camera and darkroom work, I find working digitally I can be anywhere and still be able process my pictures.

   Digital or film, a camera still needs someone behind the lens with an eye for a good photograph!

                             John Ingham